How often do we hear this….

When I go away on a trip and stay at a Hotel I know that there is always something that may not be to my standard. I know that when you are in the customer service business anything can and will happen, it is a given, right?

We see the television programs that go into hotels and find things that have not been cleaned. If you are anything like me, I regard them as being shows to disgust you so you will watch them and the show will get high ratings. Even with that said, I always check the bed.

The bed can very telling about how the room will be, clean or not. I never actually have had any issues, I would crawl into the bed at night and find the fluffy pillows to be delightful. Hotel beds with their big pillows seem to allow for wonderful dreams. The much-needed vacation would be…

Florida…..I can feel the warmth of the breeze, hear the birds sing, watch the alligator meander in the lake, feel the sun glisten upon the water. Oh, the sparkles that it makes upon the water….but then I am quickly back to reality, pop open the vitamin D bottle and run to the window for a small glimpse of sunshine.

Had to share this with you, the very lovely Gunta over at Movin’On sent me this today as she said she saw this stuck to a car window and thought of me! As some of you are aware I plan to grow old disgracefully living like Miss Haversham from Great Expectations, slewed off my face on gin and smelling of cat pee! I’ve successfully conquered the gin aspect but I still have a ways to go with the cats. I haven’t stopped laughing since I opened it; thank you Gunta, this little gesture bought a whole lot of sunshine into my afternoon.

Here in Germany we have not seen the sun for days, the leaves are all over the ground and the feel of pending snow fills the air. The news online screams of protests towards Wal-Mart, early Thanksgiving sales and Black Friday deals I really should not miss.

I tried to explain to a German women about the history of Thanksgiving and somehow it felt very far away and lost among the hysterical behavior of those in the news. I began thinking and wondering, “What in the world was going on in the United States?” Did the Pilgrims realize that this is what would become of the holiday?

We will celebrate Thanksgiving here and the PX will of course be open early Friday morning to crazed shoppers trying to get their “specials” and the parking lot at the PX will be full with cars. Music will be blasting songs of good tidings and the kids will be screaming to see Santa at extra volumes of loud. There will be pushy parents screaming and shoving to get that perfect picture of their kids on Santa’s lap; the American tradition lives on.

I plan on enjoying leftover turkey, music, a glass of wine and shopping online….how about you?

The day began with my teenage daughter telling me that her 2-year-old computer decided to go blank. She no longer could use it.

“See”, she said holding it up as evidence. The screen was blank with little lines going up and down the screen.

I shook my head. Knowing that I had no idea where the warranty was or the receipt. Thinking that maybe we really did not have one anyway.

“And, I have a paper due next week.” Her eyes big, wondering what was she ever going to do.

Me, I was thinking about the photos, documents and everything else that was now lost forever. I sighed deeply thinking back to a past summer when she had spilled chicken noodle soup all over the keyboard and screen. I had triumphed over that small disaster by taking a blow dryer to it and drying the keyboard. This time, I could see it would not be that easy.

We all knew that the computers would not last forever but really, when do you ever take such a thought seriously? Me, not till the thing is dead and gone. From the looks of the computer, it was dead and most definitely gone.

It always seems to me that these sorts of technological malfunctions always seem to occur right before the Holidays. I am not sure but I really am starting to believe it is a conspiracy against my pocketbook. That all computer companies gather around and decide that the shelf life of a computer will always end on or about December.

Though it can be difficult to swallow the purchase of a new computer, it is truly to my advantage, or so I rationalize, that I will get a holiday bargain for it. Some sort of dollars off, percentage off or buy this and you will get this offer will be afforded my way. Making me feel okay with this large purchase that generally never includes all the programs you need and therefore, you hear the continued draining of your checking account.

So, off we go to the PX or otherwise know as, “the only place to get an electronic device” and shop the 5 computers that are available to us. We find the best of the lot; middle of the road in price and leave. And yes, it was marked down $70.00 for the Holidays. It took us all of ten minutes to find the one among the 5 that we liked.

It was not long before my daughter and I were having a “discussion” about who in the family would use it, where we keep it and most definitely no eating or drinking near it; we did get the warranty. I think in some small way we were bonding over the purchase of the new computer. We were so happy about the purchase and even got all the programs that it needed…included, no extra charges. For us it was a simple install and not long after getting it set up she was navigating around all her favorite sites.

I sank happily into to the couch thinking thank goodness that should be all for now.

Shouting from the other room I hear my husband shriek, ” Hey, my computer is all messed up.” Thank goodness I know they have more available at the PX and they are on sale…for the Holidays.

When I sat down to write I had so many stories to write about and I could not figure out which one would be the best. Being true to myself, I always try to think about what would be most interesting for someone to read. I recognize that many of you who read my blog are not affiliated with the military and fewer have had the benefit of living overseas. As I collected my thoughts, I knew that there would be one topic everyone, including me, was thinking about; the drama surrounding General Petraeus.

I have been reading many different articles about what has happened and have heard more about this story on AFN (Armed Forces Network). I will confess, I wish in some small way that I could have written a book about these events. I would not be sitting here in Military on post housing if I had. With each twist and turn I hold my breath like I am turning the pages of a newly released novel.

Then it got me wondering, how could this happen? Now a days we are addicted to our computers with not much emphasis on the power our computer holds over us because we use them without thinking. That is the problem, we do not think about what we say. How many times do we log in, give an opinion on the article, picture, email or whatever without thinking about who will see it. Those words are forever connected to us and sometimes we even cringe at the content of those posts after we have calmed down. We can delete the content but it never truly goes away.

I can recall the daily discussions I have with my teenage daughter to not write anything on Facebook or in messages that could be perceived in a different matter than what the words were intended. I know that she is tired of hearing this from her over protective mother who sounds more like a drill sergeant at times than a Mom.

It may be just a coincidence but in the last few days I have found quite a few re-posts starting with, “I am sorry about the last post, I was not thinking.”

So, I went to the commissary / grocery store yesterday to get a few things. Feeling a bit upset about the election, I decided to get a couple of sandwiches to “lift” my spirits. So, I went to the deli counter and I noticed everyone was in the backroom.

I looked at the clock behind the counter and it read 2 minutes after 10.

I yelled back, “The clock says it is after 10.”

One worker came out from the back room, extremely frustrated that I interrupted his conversation and yells at me, “Not till 10 lady! Sandwiches are not made till then.”

I point to the clock on the wall , “But your clock says it is after 10.”

He took down the clock and mumbles, “Its battery operated.”

And proceeded to change the time to 5 of 10.

“See, it is 5 minutes to 10, we do not make sandwiches till 10!” He walked away shaking his head.

I am left standing there. Mind you, I still want a sandwich, nothing seems to have changed except the time.

I guess when you are the only game in town it is okay to behave in such a matter and customer service does not need to be a concern of yours. I mean really, who is going to fire you? You are a government employee who has the right to work as fast or slow as you want. No one needs to tell you that you are being rude. Why care, the government will provide.

In some ways his actions made me think about the election. He no longer has to work for me. The government will keep him employed and give him the benefits that he needs in order to continue living. As a society we are heading in this direction, people like me are just an interruption in his day.

As I was pondering these thoughts another employee decided to step in and asked me what sandwiches I wanted. I looked at him with hope and smiled.

“Oh, thank you, I appreciate you helping me. I would like…”and I completed the order.